# Man-O-War Puro Authentico: First thoughts...



## PadillaGuy (Feb 4, 2010)

*Man-O-War Puro Authentico*

Purchase date:  4/1/2001
Smoke date: 5/26/2011

Vitola: Corona 
Size: 5" x 42

Purchase price: $5.95/cigar

Packaging: Cello wrapped in drawered cedar SLB of 10 cigars packed in picadillo (loose leaf tobacco)

Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Esteli) Habano Ligero
Binder: Unknown
Filler blend: "Nicaraguan ligeros"

Manufacturer: Tabacalera Fernandez
Blender:  Abdel (A.J.) Fernandez
Distributor: Meier and Dutch (Cigars International and Cigar.com)

Appearance:  This beautiful corona sized cigar comes wrapped in a deep chestnut brown Nicaraguan Ligero leaf. The head features a "pig-tail" and the foot is unfinished, giving the cigar a slightly rustic look. There is a slight sheen to the wrapper with some tooth and grain. Overall, this is a very nice looking cigar.

Construction: The wrapper is smooth and supple with minimal small veins present. The cigar feels well packed without any soft spots or areas of extreme hardess. Again, this is a finely constructed cigar.

Cut and light: I made my cut using a Xikar Xi grip style cutter. The pig tail head cut smoothly and cleanly with minimal loose tobacco left on the head. I opted to use my Nibo triple-flame jet lighter for this cigar which, I lit without toasting the foot. I prefer to "straight light" cigars that feature unfinished feet so that I can appreciate the taste and aroma of the wrapper leaf alone, albeit for a brief time.

The Smoke: The wrapper and foot of this cigar initially gave off a slightly sweet, outdoorsy aroma. The initial cold draw was perfect and yielded rich tobacco aromas. The burn of this cigar was deliberate, never getting hot nor exhibiting any untoward burning. The ash was a nice white/gray, solid, and hung on until tapped off. The burn was straight and even throughout the entire cigar.
The Man-O-War Puro Authentico is a medium-full bodied smoke full of woody, nutty and slightly leathery aromas. There is a slight spice in the nose when retrohaling, but the sensation never becomes unpleasant or too much.
The first third of the cigar reveals heavy woody aromas with hints of orange in the background. The smoke is creamy and rich feeling on the palate. The finish in the first third is rather short and clean, an unexpected finding in what appears to be a full tilt smoke.
Moving into the second third of the smoke, the woody aromas persist while the orange fades out. The spiciness in the nose increases in the second third of the cigar, but remains at a pleasurable level, never becoming over powering. The finish picks up a slightly tannic attribute that alters the flavors, but again, does not become unpleasant. The smoke takes on a more full body in the second portion of the cigar, becoming a little sharp, but all in all, still very flavorful and enjoyable.
The final third of the cigar remains very consistent with the second portion of the smoke yielding full bodied, smooth, woody smoke with a slightly acidic feel to it. The finish at this point has become more lasting with a chocolate-woody taste that persists much longer on the palate. The tannic component of the aroma is still present, but not as much as in the second third of the cigar. The burn remains dead straight and the foot produces an ample amount of smoke as the stick burns. Construction remains outstanding throughout the entire cigar.
The flavors and aromas present in this cigar were consistent through the length of the smoke and did not yield many changes. The cigar is nonetheless very enjoyable from beginning to end.

Discussion: According to the Cigars International website, the Man-O-War Puro Authentico is the personal cigar of brand owner A.J. Fernandez. Fernandez is also the manufacturer of other Meier and Dutch products such as the highly touted Man-O-War, Man-O-War Ruination, Man-O-War Virtue and La Herencia Cubana. 
I am a huge fan of the corona size and believe that of all the vitola available, the corona comes closest to the perfect balance between wrapper flavor/aroma and filler flavor/aroma. At 5" by 43 ring gauge, is just a hair larger (in ring) than a traditional Cuban corona. In this cigar, the wrapper, in my opinion, contributes heavily to the overall flavor and aroma of the smoke. The ligero based filler blend contributes some hefty tobacco components and provides some serious body to the smoke.

Why I like this cigar: As I mentioned, I am a huge fan of the corona sized cigar. The Man-O-War Puro Authentico filled a void that existed in my collection. Unlike the other "maduro" coronas I have, the Puro Authentico delivers a very rich, hearty, and thick smoke. This cigar reminds me of a cross between a Tatuaje Miami Petit Cazadore and a Liga Privada Dirty Rat.
Less expensive than the Tatuaje Miami and the Liga Privada, the Man-O-War Puro Authentico represents a decent deal on a really good cigar.


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Good review!! 

I have been wanting to try these as soon as I can get my hands on some.


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## Hinson (May 11, 2011)

Hannibal said:


> Good review!!
> 
> I have been wanting to try these as soon as I can get my hands on some.


They have 10 packs on MMAO. Free shipping till monday also.


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## lukesparksoff (Apr 21, 2010)

Hinson said:


> They have 10 packs on MMAO. Free shipping till monday also.


If you go to CI MMAO I would start at $50, I couldn't get them to go lower,but you can try.


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## Hinson (May 11, 2011)

lukesparksoff said:


> If you go to CI MMAO I would start at $50, I couldn't get them to go lower,but you can try.


Yeah I got it for $50 the other day.


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